After a fascinating job in the art world, Montreal man ready to pursue an MBA

New MBA student directed logistics for priceless artworks before coming to ASU.

August 23, 2018

New ASU student was in charge of transport logistics at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Supply-chain specialists are experts in where different parts are coming from and headed to in the manufacturing process.

One of Arizona State University’s new students worked the transport logistics of items that are worth millions of dollars.

Nicholas Magnan

Nicholas Magnan, who is starting the full-time master of business administration program in the W. P. Carey School of Business, most recently was the transport logistics manager at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

“I was in charge of the incoming and outgoing artwork at the museum. It was unique,” he said of his yearlong work experience before coming to ASU. He has an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Quebec.

“If we had a big show coming up, I was in charge of making sure all the incoming artwork arrived in time, making sure everything was going well at the airport — how many trucks, how many planes, what would the insurance be like and any special paperwork.”

Magnan also worked in logistics at Lacoste and Coty before taking the museum position as a change of pace before graduate school.

“I like to solve problems and look at processes and I like looking at numbers to see how we can improve the business,” he said.

Magnan answered some questions from ASU Now:

Question: What are you most excited to experience at ASU?

Answer: I am most excited to meet and develop relationships with my classmates and to grow my network at the same time! I love the fact that there are so few of us in the MBA program that we will get to know each other really fast and become a big family.

Q: What talents and skills are you bringing to the ASU community?

A: Being a positive and analytical person are the top two skills that I bring to ASU and I know my classmates will appreciate those strengths. I'm very open-minded as well, which is important when you move to another country, especially considering ASU has such a large international student base.

Q: What’s your favorite TV show right now?

A: I just finished watching a show called “Money Heist,” which was originally produced in Spain. It has some interesting twists which made the show different than others that I've watched recently. I'm also really looking forward to the next season of “Game of Thrones.”

Q: What’s one interesting fact about yourself that only your friends know?

A: Ninety percent of my lunches in the past 5 years included some form of chicken! It is so good and healthy. I can already tell you that my lunches for the next two years will contain a lot of chicken.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem in our world, what would you choose?

A: There are so many problems to choose from but, to me, the backbone of any society is education. A better education can only lead to an improvement over a multitude of issues ranging from health problems to poverty, so I would definitely put that money towards education.

Mary Beth Faller

Next Story

Whatever happened to the Taliban? They, along with the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, seem to have slipped from the headlines.There have been no strikes, no dirty bombs, and no taking responsibility for acts of terror in a while. Should we assume they have been beaten into submission or given up? Quite the contrary, says one Arizona State University expert.“The Taliban are stronger than at an...

Whatever happened to the Taliban?

Whatever happened to the Taliban? They, along with the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, seem to have slipped from the headlines.

There have been no strikes, no dirty bombs, and no taking responsibility for acts of terror in a while. Should we assume they have been beaten into submission or given up? Quite the contrary, says one Arizona State University expert.

Gopal believes terrorists groups are getting a pass because the media’s focus has shifted elsewhere, mostly onto the commander in chief. ASU Now reached to Gopal to get his opinion on this new turn of events, and get his responses in a "lightning round" format.

Anand Gopal

Question: The Taliban, the Islamic State group and al-Qaida seem to be under the radar in regards to news coverage. Is it because they have been defeated or beaten back or are they simply regrouping?

Answer: The Taliban are stronger than at any point in the last 17 years. They have momentarily captured major Afghan cities, and the United States is finally being forced to enter into negotiations with them. If it seems that they are no longer in the media, it is because our media is largely focused with Donald Trump, and the space for foreign news has shrunk considerably in recent years.

Q: Should we as a nation be concerned about that shift?

A: We should be concerned because Americans have a right to know what our government is doing in our name overseas.

Q: What’s the best way to deal with the Taliban on a military and diplomatic level?

A: The United States should enter into peace negotiations with them and end the war.

Q: What is their end goal toward the United States, other free nations and democracy?

A: They want to be left alone and their interests concern matters internal to Afghanistan.

Q: What can we expect from them in the future?

A: Continued fighting unless peace talks are successful.

Top photo: A U.S. soldier holding his post in an abandoned village in the Middle East. Courtesy of Pixabay.